Tudor money pot green, used in late medieval Britain

A Tudor money box (or Tudor money pot) is a glazed

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...

container used in late Medieval

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

as a small, portable bank for collecting and saving money. The typical money box was a round, sealed, green-glazed pot with a vertical coin slot. These sturdy, small pots were commonly used by

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personifi ...

theatres to collect ticket earnings. Money would be retrieved from the full money box by breaking it open and destroying the pot.

Description

The small

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

money box was typically spherical in shape. By the 16th century, the form included a tapering, bell-shaped, knobbed top. The container was completely sealed with a narrow coin slot on the side. The glazed, ceramic pots were produced in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

and near the

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

borders. Individual pots were made by white-firing earthenware and then decorating each item with a coloured glaze, known as "Tudor Green". The distinctive colour was created by adding powdered copper to a clear, lead glaze. The glazed pot would range in colour from dark green to yellow-green, depending upon the colour of the clay and thickness of the glaze. Tudor money pot

History

Tudor money boxes were used as small, inexpensive collecting and savings banks in Britain from the 1300s to the 1600s. They were in service during the

era by

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and surrounding area theatres to collect ticket money from customers. When the money pot was full, it was destroyed to retrieve the coins. In 1988 and in 2010, the

Museum of London Archaeology MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) is an archaeology and built heritage practice and independent charitable company registered with the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA), providing a wide range of professional archaeological servic ...

(MOLA) uncovered many Tudor money box fragments during excavation at the site of the

period Rose Theatre in London. Original, unbroken money boxes are quite rare.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tudor money box Tudor England Ceramics of medieval England

Description

History

See also

References